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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
2010 World Cup ambassador Mark Fish won 62 caps for the South African national team in the 1990s and was a member of the victorious 1996 African Cup of Nations team. He represented several clubs, including Lazio in the Seria A and Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic in the English Premier League. Fish who is involved in various development programmes, has called for the revival of school soccer leagues played as one of the legacy projects of the 2010 World Cup. Project 2010 asked him…  Overall how do you think SA's 2010 preparations are progressing? Having just visited some of the stadium construction projects, I think everything is going to plan apart from Port Elizabeth, of course. I think FIFA is satisfied with our progress which is encouraging. You were a key member of the African Cup of Nations side which played such an important role in uniting South Africa in the post-1994 election period. Are you concerned about the divisions which are clearly evident in South African society today? The issue as I see it is that politics has no place in sport and, obviously, vice versa. The fact of the matter is sport unites people and politics seems to be doing the opposite at the moment. Do you think the World Cup can help alleviate these problems - to help bring our nation together? From a point of view of hosting the tournament, our fans must get behind the national team. It is also very important that our supporters throw their weight behind other African qualifiers if Bafana don't perform well in 2010 - that will soften the blow. To say we hosted a successful World Cup will do wonders for this country. As a 2010 ambassador, you are very involved in the development of the game at a youth level. Is enough being done to help our youngsters? Not enough can be done. We are still playing catch up since 1996 with Africa and the rest of the world. Remember, it's not just about 2010 - there's also 2014 2018. We have to start preparing now. What do you see as the biggest legacy 2010 will leave for South Africa? People should look back with fond memories and know that we handled it right - especially that the money the tournament generated went into education, housing developments and the economy. more interviews...
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